The return of the Democratic Republic of Congo national football team to the FIFA World Cup after 52 years was meant to be a moment of national celebration. Instead, an Ebola outbreak and resulting travel restrictions are threatening to keep thousands of supporters away from the tournament in the United States.
The Congolese football federation has formally asked FIFA to consider refunding tickets purchased by fans who may now be unable to enter the US because of emergency health measures linked to the outbreak.
The request comes after the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency earlier this month following hundreds of suspected Ebola cases and deaths across parts of Central and East Africa.
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Travel restrictions leave fans stranded
According to the BBC, the United States has suspended entry for non-American travellers who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan. Visa services at the US embassy in Kinshasa have also been halted, making travel increasingly difficult for Congolese supporters.
Fecofa president Veron Mosengo-Omba said many fans had already spent heavily on World Cup tickets only to find themselves unable to attend.
“We don’t want our supporters who love football to lose everything,” he said while urging FIFA to show flexibility considering the extraordinary circumstances.
The issue has become more complicated because of FIFA’s dynamic pricing model, which made 2026 World Cup tickets significantly more expensive than previous editions.
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Team unaffected but preparations altered
According to the BBC, while supporters are struggling with travel restrictions, the national team itself remains unaffected because most players and staff are based outside DR Congo. Officials from the country have already left early to complete the required quarantine period before entering the United States.
The Leopards were forced to cancel a planned training camp in Kinshasa and have instead assembled in Belgium before travelling to Texas for the tournament.
DR Congo open their campaign against the Portugal national football team in Houston before facing Colombia in Mexico and Uzbekistan in Atlanta.
Many supporters are now expected to travel only for the Mexico fixture because of easier entry requirements.
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Football moment overshadowed by health crisis
According to the BBC, DR Congo’s qualification carried huge emotional significance because the country last appeared at the World Cup in 1974, when it competed as Zaire and became the first sub-Saharan African nation to reach the tournament.
Mosengo-Omba described the qualification as a “resurrection” of football in the country but admitted the Ebola outbreak has overshadowed what should have been a historic sporting celebration.
The latest outbreak has proven difficult to contain because it involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no approved vaccine currently exists. Health experts have also pointed to conflict and displacement in eastern Congo as major challenges in controlling infections.
